The Day of the Dead
The cemeteries of Spain will be busy today. I've always found Iberian graveyards curious places. I never visited one when I was living there, but I saw many from the outside. You see, in Spanish cemeteries, many graves are set in high walls. The dead are stacked on top of each other, with stones marking…
30 Days in November, 30 Interesting Messages
Want to take part in an interesting experiment? Want to see me potentially humiliate myself in front of thousands? I've been challenged by copywriter John Fancher to hone my email writing skills. He has pledged to create one auto-responder message each day. What is an autoresponder? It's computer software that automatically sends emails to your…
Why I’m Not Making ‘Newsletters’ Anymore
Listen up. I’m not making "newsletters" anymore. Let me tell you why. I guess I was bored. And I was boring. I was embarrassed when people asked me what I did for a living. “I make newsletters for real estate agents and other people,” I would tell the ground. Then silence. Well, there isn’t anything…
How Repeat Customers Add Thousands in Income
Here is a chart that every business owner should print out and paste above their desk. What does this chart show? The bottom line shows the cumulative income of a business that has zero repeat customers. The higher line shows the cumulative income of a business that has 20% of its customers returning. Interesting, isn't…
Give Before You Take: the Art of Nurturing Leads
So much of business is common sense, it pains me to write about it. Yet so much that business owners do goes against simple common sense that…well… I guess I just have to point out the obvious. Here's today's topic: give before you take. Imagine you meet someone for the first time and they say,…
How to Use a Newsletter to Position a Neighborhood Bar as a Community Hub
I was was chatting on Twitter this week about what you would put in neighborhood bar's newsletter. I said (in 140 characters or less, of course) that it's about positioning the bar as a community hub. After all, that's the role of many neighborhood bars. They're the place where everyone knows your name. So that's…
How to Use a Newsletter to Prove that a ‘Commodity’ Product Can Be Special
Here's a fascinating case study from a company that sends out a newsletter in every box of eggs it produces. Yes, eggs that come with their own newsletter. I'll give you what I see as the big takeaway first: You might think that eggs is eggs. But, as we're told, some eggs are better than…
Another Great Example of a Customized Real Estate Newsletter
It makes me smile from ear to ear when one of my clients takes the real estate newsletter I offer and really makes it theirs. Here's another example (click here for a previous one), this one from Marianne Derjean, who is with broker McGuigan Pepin, in Quebec, Canada. Here's what I love about it. A…
Are You Being a Selfish Marketer? Why Most Content Producers are Thinking of the Wrong Person
Content marketing – and that includes sending print and email newsletters – is becoming an essential part of the marketing arsenal. But this new chart from Marketing Sherpa shows that most marketers are getting it all wrong. They're breaking Rule #1 of newsletters – they're not writing with their customer in mind. The chart shows…
How to Use Newsletters to Bring in New Business
I was asked by a member of my insurance newsletters service last week about the best way to use newsletters to bring in new business. Here's what I will tell him. Of course, this applies to any business – not just insurance. Why Newsletters Work to Bring in New Business Newsletters are most famously used…
How Much Content is Too Much Content?
I was asked an interesting question the other day by a Realtor who is part of my real estate newsletters program. He wants to include much more content on his website, but he wonders: is there such a thing as too much content? "I’d love to hear your suggestions on where to draw the line…
An Example of How Targeted Content in Newsletters Pays Off
I've said before and – watch out – I shall say many times in future that the number one rule for newsletters is: write for your reader. That's because if you make the content relevant to your readers' interests, they are more likely read your newsletter, engage with you and – frankly – buy stuff.…
An Example of a Newsletter with Personality
If you don't know about HARO (Help a Reporter Out) and you are interested in getting media coverage, then check it out. Basically, it's a service that connects journalists (who are looking for sources for stories) and PR people/companies with products seeking publicity. It goes out as three emails per day. Very simple. Very effective.…
How to Get Free Articles and Pictures for Your Newsletter Using Creative Commons
As you know, it's not a good idea to copy articles from the internet and use them in your newsletter. There's a good chance you'll be breaking copyright. And anyway, it's not cool to use other people's work in your newsletter without asking. There are, however, many authors and photographers who are happy for you…
A Lesson in How Not to Handle Customer Criticism
Must thank Ryanair – the low-cost airline – for showing us all how NOT to handle comments from customers (and potential customers). Having people who take the time to contact you about potential flaws in your website, product or service is a great honor. It shows they care. And if you listen to them, there's…
Excellent Example of a Customized Real Estate Newsletter
I love it when people make an effort with their marketing. (Because – to be honest – so few people really do all that it takes to break through in their market, particularly in the current economy.) I love it even more when my members take the product I offer one stage further and make…
An Excellent Email Newsletter to Model
I’ve been on the mailing list of Printing for Less for some time and have always been impressed by their monthly email newsletters. January’s is perhaps one of the best, so I thought it would be interesting to talk about why it’s so good. You can see a copy of it here. 1. The newsletter…
Real Estate Agents (and Others): The Newspaper Newsletter
I hate it when people have an idea similar to mine and then blog about it first, so that I don't get the chance to claim it. Anyway, that person is Seth Godin, so I'm not mad. Real Estate agents (and anyone else with a local business) should read his post, Time to start a…
Now’s the Time to Add Value
Check out this post by John Jantsch at Duct Tape Marketing. I particularly agree with this point: Add value before discounts – One of the first places businesses cave is on pricing. Customers are getting a little tighter with the cash, so the inclination is to cut the prices to make the phone ring. It…
Why 2009 is the Year of the Customer Relationship – and What You Can Do About It
I was tweeting with a friend (yes, I’m on Twitter now – follow me!) who had some exciting news to share. It was a wonderful way for her to start the new year. We agreed that 2009 is going to be a very good year for people with enough get-up-and-go to take the bold action…